Medilink East Midlands leads UK in new European biomaterials collaboration

06-Jun-2012 - United Kingdom

Medilink East Midlands has been named as the UK partner for Biomat-IN, the newly established €1.24 million biomaterials innovation network which spans the UK, France, Germany and the Netherlands. With biomaterials now being used in many medical applications - such as dental restoration, heart valves and prosthetic hips - Biomat-IN brings companies and academics together to pool their skills and resources.

Medilink EM is making a positive start to its new role by hosting the first international Biomat-IN collaboration event which will be held at BioCity, Nottingham on Tuesday 26 June. The event will be the first of its kind and gathers internationally renowned speakers to start the process whereby international delegates can explore trans-European collaborations in biomaterials innovation.

Medilink EM CEO, Dr Darren Clark says, “Medilink East Midlands was invited to represent the UK in this transnational biomaterials network because of our solid reputation for supporting medical companies in the East Midlands. We will add our considerable experience to that of the other European regional clusters by identifying the regional industry leaders in biotechnology, biomaterials and other crucial disciplines. I can foresee the UK network contributing to some fascinating and leading-edge projects in the coming years.”

Dr Clark continues, “It is particularly pleasing to host the first “Special Interest Group” meeting of the Biomat-IN network which is designed to attract delegates from across Europe. Our considerable experience in planning and delivering conferences will help set the tone and pace for this important European project. East Midlands companies will have the chance to be involved from the beginning. I hope a number will grasp the opportunity to engage with an influential international audience and, in particular, take advantage of 1-2-1 meetings to explore collaborative potential with possible European partners which are part of the conference schedule.”

The Biomat-IN project receives support from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) under the Interreg IVB North West Europe programme to foster innovation in the field of biomaterials through transnational co-operation. Five European regional clusters are pooling their expertise and contacts to broaden the collaboration between smaller biomaterials companies by linking them with new technologies, facilities, clinicians and academic experts. At the same time SME’s can access biomaterial industry mapping and online toolkits to provide all-important regulatory, market and financial information. Further support is available through a voucher system, which enables East Midlands companies to make the most of potential collaborations within the regional clusters.

https://www.bionity.com/en/news/138211/medilink-east-midlands-leads-uk-in-new-european-biomaterials-collaboration.html